


felix felicis.

by turnaboutcafe



Category: Haikyuu!!, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Akaashi Keiji Is So Done, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Magical Realism, Amortentia, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Felix Felicis, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Seventh Year, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Hufflepuff, Hufflepuff!Bokuto, Humor, M/M, Magic, Magical Realism, Meet-Cute, POV Akaashi Keiji, Partners in Potions Class (Harry Potter), Potions, Potions Accident, Potions Class (Harry Potter), Ravenclaw, Study Date, Studying, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, just really self indulgent, ravenclaw!akaashi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:35:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24320674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turnaboutcafe/pseuds/turnaboutcafe
Summary: felix felicis— known as the 'good luck' potion. said to make serendipitous occasions occur.when akaashi gets bumped up to seventh year potions as a sixth year, he doesn't expect the year to go smoothly, nor does he expect to be partnered with the worst student in the class. but, when a seventh year hufflepuff comes stumbling into class late, akaashi finds that the only seat available is beside his own.amidst the exploding of his golden cauldron and boiling of occamy eggshells, akaashi is only sure of one thing:this was not going to go well.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 22
Kudos: 318





	felix felicis.

**Author's Note:**

> yeah i had too much fun writing this,,, here's part two of my obligatory haikyuu hp!au <3

Akaashi quickly moved through the stone floored hallways, thick textbooks clutched to his chest, head ducked, out of sight from the whispering students in the corridor. In his other hand, he held his gold cauldron tightly by the handle, neatly arranged vials of potion ingredients stuffed inside. It was the very same cauldron he had used since he was a first year, and the very same one that had gotten him through all his major exams throughout the years. The dungeons of Hogwarts were dark, flickering lamps the only source of light, eerie shadows cast on the walls as students flitted past the fire goblets. But, the usual cold of the dungeons was welcome; despite it still being fairly chilly from the residual spring, Quidditch practice never failed to exhaust him, and an escape from the still scorching sun was pleasant.

Slowly, Akaashi pushed open the dark, dilapidated wooden doors to his potions class, choosing an empty seat at random. He didn’t recognize the people around him, a shuffle of blue and yellow robes surrounding the room, encapsulating his vision as students chose their seats, quick greetings exchanged among them, chatter rising from an especially large group of seventh years in the back row. Among them, Akaashi was an anomaly; he knew no one, and for good reason.

He wasn’t even meant to be in this class.

The appearance of the wizened potions master immediately broke his thoughts, bringing him back to reality as the room called itself to silence. The potions master, despite being fairly short and old, gave off an air of importance behind the amiable smile on his face, wrinkled lips now grinning widely at all the students. Despite the lack of tension in the air, the respect towards the man was evident in the obedient silence of the students, all eyes turned to the teacher.

“Well, we have a new student in our midst,” the professor announced, smiling widely as he pointed to Akaashi, everyone's attention immediately pulled towards him. “Despite being a sixth year, his aptitude in potions is wondrous and far beyond his peers. Thus, I made the executive decision to push him up a level. He will be joining our classes from today, so I expect that everyone will be hospitable towards him.”

The students nodded, not sparing another glance at Akaashi before they turned to the board. Akaashi’s cheeks still burned from the attention, clenching his teeth as he tried to force down the discomfort rising in him, forcing his focus onto the blank blackboard. As the professor began writing on the board, Akaashi pulled out his own battered potions notebook, quickly dipping his quill in ink to copy down what the professor was writing, neat penmanship filling the page in minutes.

Suddenly, there was a silent clatter of metal next to him.

Akaashi turned his head, jerking to his left. Beside him, in the once empty seat, a Hufflepuff seventh year sat, puffing slightly as he tried to regain his breath, face red from exertion, a sheepish look spreading across his face as he tried to compose himself. Akaashi turned back to the professor, hiding his distaste. How could a student be late for the first potions class of the year? And a seventh year, no less?

As Akaashi turned back to the teacher, his eyes caught the half bleached hair of the Hufflepuff, a frown forming on his face. Had he seen that hair before?

“Today, the potion we will be focusing on are love potions,” the professor announced, scratching the words ‘love potion’ on the blackboard, as if to emphasize his point. “Can anyone tell me what the most powerful love potion in the world is?”

 _Amortentia,_ Akaashi thought, the memorized textbook definition burning at the back of his mind. _It’s the most powerful love potion in the world, with its effects known to last for up to 24 hours if a single drop is consumed. If overdosed, it can cause infatuation so great that a person may be intoxicated with it forever. In such a case, and anti love potion must be used to revert its curse. The love potion was created by—_

“Akaashi,” the teacher called, looking at him, a knowing smile on his face. “I suppose you know the answer?”

The rest of the class was silent as they looked expectantly at Akaashi, as if he was an encyclopedia of answers. Taking a deep breath, Akaashi repeated his thoughts, words a regurgitation of the textbook he had read the previous night, contents completely memorized in his head. It was a textbook definition through and through. He was good at memorizing, he had to be. After all, it was the only thing that allowed him to pass the O.W.Ls without much of a struggle.

“Excellent,” the professor nodded, signaling for Akaashi to sit back down. For several moments, the gaze of awed seventh years lingered on him, whispers cast among them for painfully long moments, heads only turning back when the professor returned their attention to the front of the class.

“As so graciously elaborated upon by Akaashi-san, Amortentia is the strongest love potion in the world, and can easily be the most dangerous potion known to man due to its implications. However, as it is part of the N.E.W.Ts, we are required to study it. Today, we will be replicating this potion.”

Excited murmurs flitted amongst the students, already chattering away with their seatmates about the new task, the giggly voices of a group of girls in the back rising in the air, eyes sparkling as they eyed the Hufflepuff beside him, completely oblivious to their staring. Akaashi ignored them, opening his own textbook to find the recipe, concentrating hard as he read the numerous latin words on the book, straining to reach the back of his memory for its translations. In front of him, the professor was already writing down instructions on the board, filling it with chalky writings of instructions and ingredients.

“Hey,” the Hufflepuff beside him muttered, Akaashi’s elbow jerking up reflexively as the Hufflepuf poked his arm. “What are we doing today?”

“It was just mentioned,” Akaashi replied, scratching down additional notes in the margins of the textbook. “Weren’t you listening?”

“I might have dozed off,” the boy admitted sheepishly, looking at him. “I just had Quidditch practice, ‘m exhausted. If i could, I would take a day long nap!”

_If it was a day long, wouldn’t it not be a nap anymore then?_

Akaashi didn’t reply, ignoring the Hufflepuff as he elected to look up at the board instead. The professor was already setting out potion ingredients on the table, an array of lustrous ingredients shining even in the dim light. “You will have to brew th potion with your seatmate for this activity, everyone, so be sure that you only take one set of ingredients for the potion.”

At the professor’s words, Akaashi grimaced, taking a glance to the clearly out-of-it seventh year beside him, sighing. He had to work with _him_?

“I’ll take the ingredients,” Akaashi announced, standing up from his seat with an unceremonious screech as he pushed the stool back. “Please read over the instructions so that we can get started immediately, and prepare the scales.”

The student gave a non committal nod towards him, sluggishly picking up scales from his own collection of items and placing them on the table, eyes lazily tracing over the words in his flipped open textbook ( _That probably isn’t even on the Amortentia page_ , Akaashi thought). Still, Akaashi came back promptly with a tray of ingredients, looking up at the seventh year expectantly. He was still tracing his finger over the words, clearly too fatigued to do anything with precision., or even comprehend the textbook’s words at all.

“Can you start with the potion water?” Akaashi asked, looking at the Hufflepuff in front of him. “I’ll start with the flower heads.”

He nodded lethargically, grabbing a bottleful of standard potioning water, pouring it slowly into Akaashi’s golden cauldron, gently stirring it as he warmed it over the fire. As Akaashi bruised the peppermint flowerheads, carefully copying the diagram on the textbook, the Hufflepuff began speaking.

“You know, I think I’ve seen you before,” he began, observing Akaashi.

“I’m afraid I can’t say the same,” Akaashi replied politely, depositing the bruised flowers into the warmed cauldron, slowly stirring it with a mixing spell from his wand. 

“Do you play Quidditch?” he asked, squinting as he observed a vial of pearly substance, handing it to Akaashi. “‘Cause, you’re definitely new to this class. I’ve never seen you before.”

Akaashi nodded, slowly measuring out a tablespoon of the moon powder, dropping it into the cauldron. “I’m Ravenclaw’s seeker, and it’s been that way for about three years. I’m a sixth year.”

“Cool!” he exclaimed enthusiastically, moving his arms energetically, flailing arms threateningly close to the cauldron as his chest began to puff up in pride. “I’m the captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, I’m one of the chasers. My name’s Bokuto Koutarou.”

Outwardly, Akaashi gave him a polite nod. “Akaashi. Akaashi Keiji.”

_So that’s why the bleached hair looks so familiar._

“Say, Akaashi, you must be pretty smart to have been moved up to a seventh year potions class,” Bokuto grinned, looking over Akaashi’s shoulder as he dethorned a blackened rose. “Are you some kind of like, prodigy pure blood or something?”

“Muggle, actually,” Akaashi replied, voice hardening in the slightest as he gathered the thorns on his knife, flicking it into the cauldron. “Both my parents are muggles, I don’t have an ounce of magic in me.”

For a moment, Bokuto hesitated, gaping or a moment before his cheerful personality came within moments, the same excitement before his blunder still in his voice. “Hey, that makes you even cooler, then. I’m a pure blood and I probably can’t do half the things you can!”

“Skill shouldn't be placed on a basis of blood purity. Can you put the Ashwinder egg into the cauldron?”

“Sure,” Bokuto smiled, grabbing the five eggs from beside Akaashi, tipping them into the cauldron with a flourish.

Akaashi’s eyes widened. “Not all at—”

Before Akaashi could stop Bokuto, all the eggs sunk into the brewing potion, a large splash coming up into the air, specks of liquid sprayed across the table. The potion began to bubble, solution sloshing around the edges of the cauldron, threatening to overflow as it continued to fizz. It shone pink, a far cry from the mother of pearl sheen it was meant to show, changing colors rapidly as the elixir began to double in volume, frothing heavily at the surface.

“Look out!” Bokuto exclaimed, pushing Akaashi out of the way, shielding him with his own body, robe flourished across them both, outstretched arms protective. As he did, the cauldron burst, bits of potion and cauldron flying everywhere, pink goo finding itself on the walls, a horrid sizzling sound coming from it. Akaashi, to his relief, found nothing on himself, insides relaxing.

Then, he looked up at Bokuto.

The Hufflepuff was covered in the pink liquid, seeping into his robes, weird pinkish stains left on the black fabric, his yellow robe accents mixing with the pink to form some weird brown color. Akaashi drew himself back up to his full height, rushing over to his potions partner, squinting at the amortentia residue in concern.

“I don’t think you’ll die.”

“Akaashi!” Bokuto squacked, watching with concerned eyes as Akaashi drew his wand from his robes. “That’s not reassuring!”

“Stay still, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi ordered, flourishing his wand with expertise. “ _Scourgify_.”

In an instant, the goo dissipated, only the brown stains remaining on his robes. As they did, Bokuto looked up at Akaashi in awe. “What do you not do Akaashi? You’re good at charms too?”

Akaashi ducked his head, quickly cleaning up the rest of the mess their failed potion had made, biting his bottom lip as he caught sight of his ruined cauldron. “I studied hard to be able to pass my exams, a cleaning charm is merely the basics.”

As Bokuto blabbered on, Akaashi began preparing their ingredients to redo the potion, profuse apologies leaving his lips as he faced the potions master, who only waved him away with a new set of supplies. This time, he slowly measured out the ingredients with precision, glancing in supervision each time Bokuto came within a foot of the cauldron he had borrowed from the school’s potion supply cabinet, hairs rising each time Bokuto came too close to the brewing potion.

As the step with the ashwinder eggs came, Akaashi looked over at Bokuto with a stern look. “One at a time, and stir it clockwise until it’s incorporated in the potion, then add a second egg. Only add three.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Bokuto waved, slowly dropping the egg into the cauldron. It bubbled and foamed for a moment, Bokuto immediately taking out his wand to murmur a stirring charm over the cauldron. As the ashwinder egg incorporated itself, melting into the potion, Akaashi quickly added the second one, nodding in satisfaction as the color turned the slightest bit more shimmery. They were on the right track. 

“Stir it anti-clockwise, and then clockwise once,” Akaashi announced, reading off of the textbook.

“You sure you want me to do it, Akaashi?” Bokuto asked, looking at him uncertainly. “It might explode again.”

“You just have to—” Akaashi began, but quickly reminded himself of the previous incident mere minutes ago. “Fine, I’ll do it, Bokuto-san. Please pay attention in class next time, Bokuto-san. You’re taking your N.E.W.Ts in a few months.”

“I know that!” Bokuto protested. “My grades for Transfiguration will carry me through it away, I can work at the Ministry with my Transfiguration grades alone! Or, I could become a professional Quidditch player. Either way, when will I ever need to make a love potion?”

Akaashi quirked an eyebrow at him. “Everything we cover in potions class, especially something like amortentia, is purely theoretical. It’s not meant to be used, and we can’t brew anything outside of the potions classroom anyway. What you need is a passing grade so that you can actually graduate and work somewhere.

“True,” Bokuto mused, hovering closer to the cauldron. He was now slightly pressed against Akaashi, eyes shining as he looked into the bubbling mixture. “Hey, look, it’s beginning to steam!”

Akaashi snapped his gaze away from Bokuto, turning it back to the cauldron. It was beginning to shimmer softly, a pearly glow encompassing it, spiral fumes of steam rising from the cauldron in beautiful curls, gently tickling at Akaashi’s pale skin. Bokuto smiled widely as he looked at it, almost as if he was tranced.

“You’re supposed to be able to smell the things you’re attracted to, right?” Bokuto asked excitedly, putting his face closer to the cauldron.

“What do you smell, Bokuto-san?” Akaashi asked, curiosity piquing in him. What would another person smell in amortentia?

“I smell…” Bokuto murmured, “parchment. Old parchment, like the ones you find in the old charms books in the library. There’s also… wood. Expensive wood, like the wood my broom is made out of, the wood from the newer models, like the new firebolt!”

 _Wood from a Quidditch broom,_ Akaashi mused, chuckling to himself. _Does he love Quidditch that much?_

“Akaashi, how about you?” Bokuto asked, nudging him closer to the cauldron. “What do you smell?”

Akaashi took a whiff, shutting his eyes as the scents came around him, overwhelming him. Smells surrounded him all at once, enveloping him, holding him close. At first, he smelt nothing but as he took in the fumes deeper, something began forming. He could smell the warm, homey scent of freshly baked brownies, the decadent allure of melted chocolate, the smell of freshly cut, dew dotted grass mingled within them, surrounded in warmth. The smell of a crackling fireplace cut into the smell, complementing them, a rustic scent coming through it.

It smelled beautiful.

“I smell brownies,” Akaashi began, “chocolate, and grass.”

“That’s nice!” Bokuto announced loudly. “You must really like food.”

“No, not really,” Akaashi replied, uncorking a vial. “Come on, we should stop smelling the potion. Let’s bottle it up and pass it to the professor.”

Nodding, Bokuto grabbed a glass dropper from his potions set, slowly dripping a small stream of the shimmering liquid into the bottle. The mother-of-pearl sheen was evident even in the low light of the room, shimmers of light cast across the gloomy classroom. Proudly, Bokuto labelled the corked vial in messy handwriting, handing it to their professor.

“Excellent work, Bokuto-san, Akaashi-san,” their professor nodded. “I expect further great potions work from the both of you!”

_Further… great work?_

In what felt like mere hours from the previous potions class, Akaashi found himself seated next to Bokuto again in the next potions lsson, the seat next to the Hufflepuff having been the only one available as Akaashi ran into class several minutes late. With a huff, Akaashi plopped himself on the stool, nodding at Bokuto politely before turning himself to look at the board, notebook already ready in front of him. Bokuto simply laid on his desk, snoozing as the professor continued his lecture, blinking awake only when it was finally time for them to conduct their experiment.

“What are we making today?” he asked, looking up expectantly at him, as if Akaashi had the answers to the universe.

“Felix Felicis.”

“The good luck potion?” Bokuto asked. “Isn’t it supposed to be incredibly dangerous if brewed wrongly?”

“It’s not like we’ll drink what we make,” Akaashi murmured, taking his newly purchased golden cauldron into his hands with care. It was new, unused; it felt odd to him.

“You have a point!” 

The rest of the potions class was more enjoyable than his morning run to class. Unlike the previous day, Bokuto’s eyes were on the textbook, dissecting the instructions carefully, preparing the necessary ingredients with care. Despite his mess up the previous day, Akaashi noticed the skill bubbling in the Hufflepuff, the fatigue from the previous day gone. He cut up the ingredients with care, meticulously observing the heat under the cauldron, murmuring charms over the cauldron to allow the potion to smoothen the potion making process, all done with a wide grin on his face.

“You know the steps to Felix Felicis well, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi commented, adding a shard of Occamy eggshell to the potion, eyes squinted as a cloud of smoke rose at the addition of a new ingredient. “Did you know about the recipe beforehand?”

“Yeah!” Bokuto announced proudly, pointing to his heavily annotated textbook. “I mean, you were doing all the work yesterday, and it didn’t seem fair for me to pile all that work on you, so I decided to study the textbook beforehand. Pretty neat, huh?”

Akaashi smiled, just the slightest. “Thank you, Bokuto-san. I appreciate it.”

“Sure thing!”

As their progress on the potion continued, Bokuto seemed to get closer and closer to him, their arms pressed together as they worked side by side, Bokuto adding ingredients to the potion as Akaashi charmed it. It was as if the whole process to the potion making had been discussed beforehand, movements harmonious, the two working perfectly in tandem, worlds awy from the mess they had made in the previous potions class.

Soon enough, Akaashi found himself laughing to Bokuto’s jokes.

Despite his concentration, Bokuto never failed to keep the atmosphere up, cracking jokes and comments at the oddest moments, a smile tugging at Akaashi’s lips as he whispered spells onto the potion, stirring it as Bokuto poured in a vial of powdered rue, delicate as he observed the potion. For a moment, it felt as if Akaashi wasn’t even in class anymore, the heaviness of the work gone, replaced by the pure joy of Bokuto’s company. It was almost like hanging out with someone he’d known for years, even if he’d only known Bokuto for a day.

As they completed their potion and presented it to their teacher, he gave them a wide smile, another compliment flowing through his lips on the potion, large gestures of praise coming from him as he showed their vial to the whole class. For a moment, pride bubbled in Akaashi as the professor gave them back their vial, insisting that they keep such a perfectly executed potion. As Akaashi handed Bokuto the potion for safe keeping, he smiled.

“Thanks for today, Bokuto-san.”

Before he knew it, days had turned into weeks, weeks into months. Bokuto, still his potions partner, had turned from acquaintance to friend, and from friend to his closest friend.

And he still didn’t know how it all had happened.

The day before their potions exam was warmer than it had been before, summer beginning to peek through the cool clutches of spring, bathing the castle in golden warmth. Around him, students walked the hall enthusiastically, talk about vacation plans mingling with rants about the upcoming exams, rising into loud chatters through the hallway. Akaashi, pacing quickly through the hallway, had his potions textbook opened in front of him, eyes serious as he read the text, forcing it all into his memory, not even bothering to look up.

“Akaashi, it’s midterms!” Bokuto called out, running up to him. “Are you going to study for the potions exams tomorrow?” 

“Is that even a question, Bokuto-san?”

“I mean, you’re smart and all,” he retorted, biting into a sandwich he had smuggled out of the Great Hall. “You probably don’t even have to study at all, do you?

“I’m taking an accelerated potions class, I can’t risk not studying,” Akaashi replied, slowing the pace of his walk, letting Bokuto fall in beside him, tucking the opened book under his arm. “Besides, I need to catch up with the first half of the seventh years’ curriculum. I never had the time to cover the rest of it before I was forced to move up to the seventh years’ potion class.”

“We can study together in the library, then!” Bokuto chirped decisively, dragging Akaashi up the winding stairs by the sleeve of his robe. “I can help you go through the first half of the year, it’s not very hard.”

“Bokuto-san, you failed the first half of your Potions class.”

“Akaashi!” Bokuto complained, smacking Akaashi lightly on the shoulder with the books on his hand. “You’re not supposed to say that, I’m just trying to be a good senior to you!”

“Fine,” Akaashi replied, burying his smile with tightly pressed lips, turning his face away from Bokuto. “Let’s study in the library.”

The library was as calming as Akaashi had remembered it being. It was filled with the sound of crackling fires, low chatters of students studying at the tables lined up against the bookshelves rising in the air, first years diligently going over spells and potions with their peers, pointing to sections in old, battered textbooks, some illuminating books in dark corners with a Lumos spell, reading their books under the dim light. The smell of the library was alluring, the old parchment and calming scent of the air settling into Akaashi, reminding him to untense his shoulders as he and Bokuto attempted to find a spot in the already full library, eyes scanning the sofas and tables for any place to sit.

Finally, they found a secluded corner in the library squashed between several tall bookshelves, a quiet nook in the corner devoid of all students. Akaashi slipped into the seat, depositing his books on the table with a sigh, stretching out his arms. He had a lot of studying to do.

“So, what haven’t you studied from the syllabus?” Bokuto asked, looking up at Akaashi as he flipped open his own textbook. “Everything from the first semester?”

Akaashi nodded. “I wasn’t given much time to prepare for the next class, so I’ve only read the books for the classes in the second semester.”

“You’re lucky that the topics don’t interconnect with each other,” Bokuto mused. “Let’s start with the Draught of the Living Death, then.”

Contrary to Akaashi’s expectations, Bokuto was fairly good at Potions (or at least, he was good at the material from the first term). Despite his typical blunders during the potions classes after Hufflepuff’s quidditch practices, the knowledge from the earlier topics were practically ingrained into his mind. His words flowed smoothly as he sat next to Akaashi, helping him look over the chapters that he had missed, explaining the potion creation procedure with ease. Throughout, he sprinkled in stories about the different slip-ups he’d had with each potion, laughter elicited from Akaashi at each ridiculous story. It was as if Bokuto hadn’t lived in the world Akaashi knew. His stories were full of the fun allure of Hogwarts life, the weird rules he’d broken, the many times the potions master had sent him to detention for one too many mistakes during his potions class. It was far different from the regimented, bland world Akaashi was so used to living in Hogwarts. Bokuto’s stories transported him, sending him to another world.

It was almost magical.

The sun had already begun setting as they sat, golden light deepening to purple, but Akaashi paid no mind to it. They were now on one of the sofas in the library, sat close next to each other, Bokuto’s textbook opened on the space between them. As Bokuto pointed at different points of the textbook, he began showing Akaashi the different ingredients, marking up the textbook all over with notes and bookmarks.

But even so, all Akaashi’s eyes could focus on was Bokuto.

Not much had changed about him since potions class, but Akaashi couldn’t help but trace his eyes over the slope of his cheekbones, the haphazardly bleached hair, the animated smile as he narrated a story, wide, pink lips, tall pointed nose. He couldn’t help but notice the way Bokuto’s eyes crinkled in the slightest as he got more excited, the way his muscled arms tensed and waved erratically at every enthralling recalling. He couldn’t help but notice how beautiful those golden eyes were.

Akaashi couldn’t help but notice all of it.

“You’ll get this all memorized in no time, Akaashi,” Bokuto reassured, looking at him with a confident smile. “Look, we’ve practically covered everything already.”

Akaashi let out a soft smile. “It seems so. I wasn’t aware that you were this good at potions, Bokuto-san.”

“Nah, I’m not,” he waved away, fighting a grin. “I’m terrible at the practical aspect of potions, but I need it if I want to get a good job, so I focused a lot on the theory instead.”

Akaashi nodded. “That seems like a solid plan. Do you intend to go anywhere specific after Hogwarts?”

“No, I don’t think I know just yet,” Bokuto replied, voice softening as his eyes looked to the distance. “I’ll definitely work with magic, though, not any of those weird theory based subjects that you have to study until your eyes fall out.”

“You’re good at Transfiguration, right?”

“Yeah!” Bokuto exclaimed, pride shining in his eyes. “I told you that one, right?”

Akaashi nodded. “Word is, you’re the best among all the seventh years, or at least that’s what the sixth years’ say. I heard that even Professor McGonagall recognizes your talent.”

“I mean, I did study to become the best,” Bokuto laughed, chest puffed up in pride. “It paid off in the end. How about you, ‘Kaashi? Any plans for the future?”

“Maybe I’ll work in the Ministry,” he mused, voice soft as he closed the textbook between them. “I’ll probably do something with potions, or maybe charms.”

“You could start a love potion business,” Bokuto suggested, waggling his eyebrows. “I’m pretty confident it’ll become famous.”

Akaashi let out a short laugh. “Love potions only exist to be studied. I doubt it’ll ever actually be used in real life or in practice. The only record use of love potions thus far only ended in catastrophe.”

“For someone who’s basically studied the whole textbook section of love potions by heart, you seem pretty intent on never using the knowledge ever again,” Bokuto joked, voice light. “But if it came without the moral repercussions, or any repercussions at all, what would you use it for?”

“Having someone infatuated with me doesn’t seem like a very appealing reality,” Akaashi replied, playing with his fingers as he kept his eyes away from Bokuto’s gaze, forcing the burning on his face down, praying that the low light shielded his face. “I mean, it’ll lead to heartbreak, or one of us will get sick of the other.”

“Really, Akaashi?” Bokuto asked, resting his head on Akaashi’s shoulder. “Seems like you don’t know much about love.”

“Bokuto-san, I’m pretty sure you haven’t dated whilst in Hogwarts either.”

“Hey!” Bokuto protested, head jerking back from Akaashi’s shoulder. The disappearance of the warmth made Akaashi yearn for more. “You don’t know that!”

“Your reaction tells me it’s true.”

“No fair,” Bokuto sulked, sinking lower on the sofa. “I shouldn’t be so nice to you next time!”

“I got you through the entirety of potions making this semester,” Akaashi reminded, raising an amused eyebrow.

Bokuto frowned in thought, brows furrowed together as he considered Akaashi’s words. At his silence, Akaashi turned to look at him. Bokuto’s eyes were sharpened in concentration, jaw tight as he continued to think. With amusement, Akaashi continued to observe his potions partner, memorizing the slope of his forehead as it moved towards his nose, the angle of his jaw, sharpened from hours of Quidditch practice. His golden eyes were bright as they continued to delve into thought, as if completely forgetting where he was.

It was pretty.

“I owe you for this semester of potions then, Akaashi!” Bokuto announced, turning to smile at him. “We can go to Hogsmeade, and I’ll buy you stuff from Honeydukes for getting me past all the practical elements.”

“It’s not necessary, Bokuto-san.”

Even before the words left his mouth, Akaashi regretted them. At Bokuto’s offer, his mind transported him to Hogsmeade, warm butterbeer in hand as he sat opposite Bokuto, laughing over another one of his weird, fantastical stories of his misfortunes in potions. At the blink of an eye, the scene shifted to the two at Zonko’s, a heated game of Exploding Snap between them, only rushing back to Hogwarts as the lights dimmed, moon high in the sky as they slipped into their dorms close to midnight, a knowing grin shared between them. His mind moved to them both walking home on a winter night, arms brushing each other as they walked close, yet not close enough to touch each other completely.

“I insist, ‘Kaashi!” Bokuto announced, shifting his body to face Akaashi. “Next Hogsmeade weekend, you can’t refuse!”

Sighing in mock defeat despite the relief flowing through him, Akaashi’s lips pulled themselves into a traitorous smile, eyes softening as he continued to gaze at Bokuto. “Fine, next Hogsmeade weekend.”

“Yeah!” Bokuto cheered, earning a glare from a student behind a bookshelf. “We can go to so many places in Hogsmeade. It’ll all be my treat, of course! I can’t let you pay for anything when you’ve already helped me through so much potions, it won’t be fair.”

“You really don’t have to, Bokuto-san.”

“I insist!”

“You don’t have to repay me with money,” Akaashi replied. “I was just extending my courtesy as your potions partner; I had to help you with potions.”

“But I need to make it up with you!” Bokuto whined, tugging on his arm. “I can’t let you go through all that trouble for nothing.”

“You’ve already spent this entire afternoon teaching me potions,” Akaashi pointed out, continuing to look at Bokuto. His gaze trailed to Bokuto’s pouting lips. “That’s quite a lot of repayment, considering the exams coming up.”

“Akaashi, I—”

Akaashi didn’t know what happened in the next moment. Suddenly, he felt his lips against Bokuto’s, pressing softly. For a moment, panic jolted through his mind, willing him to pull away. But before he could, Bokuto was pressing back the kiss, soft, chaste, hidden away behind bookshelves in the small corner nook, away from prying eyes. Warmth blossomed in Akaashi as the warm lips continued to move over his as if it had been waiting a whole lifetime for this one moment. Through his hazy thoughts, he felt arms snake around his waist, pulling him closer, but he couldn’t care less about it. All he could feel were the soft lips slowly pressing against him, shrouding him in warmth.

It felt beautiful.

“Akaashi,” Bokuto murmured.

“I suppose that’s payment enough, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi replied, keeping a soft smile on his face. “But I won’t say no to the Hogsmeade weekend.”

As they walked back to the dorms, fingers intertwined in between their long robes, Akaashi smiled a soft goodbye as he watched Bokuto disappear behind the barrier to the Hufflepuff common room, a soft peck to the cheek in goodbye. Bokuto smiled, grinning, turning his head to steal another kiss from him.

When Bokuto finally retreated back to his dorm, Akaashi sighed, contentment blossoming in his heart as he took a slow walk to the Ravenclaw common rooms, head tilted to the sky as a last smile tugged at his lips.

“Thank you for today, Bokuto-san.”

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you liked it!! if you did, please consider leaving a kudos and comment, it would make my day :) <3


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